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6.08.2011

Meet with Sen. McCaskill's staff to stop dangerous Fracking

Meeting in St. Louis: Ask Sen. McCaskill to stop dangerous Fracking.
Join us Friday,
June 17.
RSVP today!


Take action now!
Dear Friend,
Americans count on the Environmental Protection Agency to identify the largest threats to clean air and clean water, and act to make sure they are protected.
But thanks to the work of Vice President Dick Cheney's secretive energy task force, since 2005, the EPA has been handcuffed from doing anything about one of the fastest growing threats to our waters supply: High Pressure Hydraulic Fracturing (or Fracking).
The method of drilling for natural gas involves pumping huge quantities of water and a secret mix of chemicals, including known toxic and carcinogens, deep underground, directly into or adjacent to our dinking water supplies.1
Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) has introduced a bill "The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act" (S.587), which would allow the EPA to regulate Fracking, and force companies to disclose the list of chemicals in the toxic Fracking fluid.
Your Senator, Sen. Claire McCaskill, has not yet co-sponsored the bill. So we've set up a meeting at Sen. McCaskill's office so you can ask her to do just that.
When: Friday, June 17, 12:00 PM
Where: St. Louis, MO (full location after RSVP)
Why: Meet with Sen. McCaskill's staff to end unregulated Fracking.

RSVP to attend this important meeting.

Fracking is spreading across the country at an alarming rate. It's currently underway in 36 states, and has already had significant consequences for our water.
A recent investigative series by the New York Times recently concluded, "the dangers to the environment and health are greater than previously understood."2 Between below-ground water contamination, the release of massive quantities of insufficiently treated Fracking wastewater into our rivers and streams, and above-ground spills of Fracking fluid, the ramifications of expanded, unchecked Fracking will be extreme.
Yet because of the "Halliburton loophole," — so named because Halliburton, where Dick Cheney was CEO before becoming Vice President, patented Fracking in the 1940's and remains the third largest producer of Fracking fluids — Fracking has been exempt from EPA regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, handcuffing the EPA from taking action.
That makes the oil and gas industry the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials — unchecked — directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
The FRAC Act would help solve the problem. The bill was first introduced in 2009, and has gained some momentum for passage as public concern over Fracking has grown, but more co-sponsors are needed to help pass the bill and end this dangerous legacy of the Bush administration.3
We'll make it easy for you and provide you all the materials you need.
Mark Anthony Dingbaum, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

2. "Regulation Lax as Gas Wells' Tainted Water Hits Rivers," Ian Urbina, New York Times, 02-26-2011.
3. Current FRAC Act co-sponsors are Senators Boxer (CA), Cardin (MD), Feinstein (CA), Gillibrand (NY), Lautenberg (NJ), Mikulski (MD), Sanders (VT), Schumer (NY), Whitehouse (RI)




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6.07.2011

Solar $132/month



My Solar Supplier is offering Residential Financing for my customers with

monthly payments lower than your current electricity bill (Ameren).

Payments as low as $132/month for a 5Kw system.

No down payment required. Not a leasing program.

Email me for the specifics- scottscontracting@gmail.com

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6.05.2011

Energy Savings Bill Targets Net-Zero by 2030

What's Happening from Environmental Building News – Paula Melton


Senators Jeanne Shaheen (center) and Rob Portman (right) recently introduced the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a massive energy bill that targets net-zero-energy use for all new residential and commercial construction by 2030 as well as efficiency measures for existing buildings, appliances, manufacturing processes, and government agencies.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in May 2011 targets net-zero-energy use in all new residential and commercial buildings by 2030, and aims to create jobs by using low-cost strategies to increase energy efficiency in existing buildings across residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and government sectors.

The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011, cosponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), was touted by Shaheen at a press conference as "a national energy efficiency strategy" that "can make our economy more competitive, start addressing our nation's energy challenges, and create private-sector jobs today." Some highlights of the wide-ranging bipartisan bill:

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would update national model building energy codes to exceed current baselines and would coordinate with states to track the effectiveness of the new codes in meeting energy savings targets.
• DOE would study direct-current microgrids and make policy recommendations (see "A Surge of Popularity for Efficient DC Power," EBN May 2011).
• Manufacturers would have to comply with new energy standards for a variety of appliances, including refrigerators, room air conditioners, clothes dryers, commercial furnaces, and many others.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would consider whether to update Energy Star criteria to give credit for products with smart-grid and demand-response features.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would make zero-interest loans to rural public utilities and electric cooperatives to support energy-efficiency loans that rural customers could pay back through their utility bills.
• DOE would provide loan guarantees for energy retrofit projects in commercial and institutional buildings (eligible financing mechanisms would include power purchase agreements).
• DOE would research, develop, and promote energy-efficiency technologies for manufacturing, and would fund loan programs to help manufacturers implement already available efficiency technologies.
• DOE would establish a Supply Star program to recognize manufacturers and products that use resource-conserving supply chains.
• All federal agencies would implement energy-efficiency plans—incorporating power-saving tools for personal computers, advanced metering, and data collection—under the management of the Secretary of Energy.

The Alliance to Save Energy provides more information, including the full text of the bill.

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Politicians Return BP Re-Election Donations


Politicians are finally listening to their Constituents and turning away Oil Company Donations. 

BP Back in Politics, T-Paw Makes it Official and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 24


BPlogo.jpg
BP TRIES TO TURN ON CONTRIBUTIONS: BP may still be reeling from its tarnished reputation following last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but it continues its attempted comeback -- at least in the political sphere.

The comeback, however, is contingent upon acceptance from elected officials, many of whom are trying to distance their re-election campaigns from BP.

And after months of little or no activity, BP's political action committee has pulled out its checkbook once again, writing two checks to congressmen in April, according to the most recent campaign finance documents it filed with the Federal Elections Commission. 

Reps. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) received $1,000 checks each from the BP PAC. In past election cycles, both have benefited from large contributions made by the people and PACs associated with oil companies. 

But Burgess' Campaign Manager Kim Garza told OpenSecrets Blog in an email that her boss has returned BP PAC's check -- and he'll return all future contributions from the company. 

Burgess, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, raised more than a $1 million during the 2010 election cycle. He received $58,600 of those funds from the oil and gas industry.

Burgess' actions fall in line with those of other congressmen who also rejected contributions from the BP PAC.

BP PAC's most recent disclosure document lists as "uncashed" a $5,000 check it wrote to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in March.

Upton has maintained that he will not be cashing in the amount as a result of last year's spill, which leaked an estimated 205 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The initial Deepwater Horizon explosion also killed 11 oil platform crew members.

Article Continues: Open Secrets the place for researching Politics, Political Spending, and Donations


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Climate change: Heat wave a reminder

EDITORIAL: Climate change: Heat wave a reminder of the urgency of climate change and the need for Maryland -- and the nation -- to take action now

May 31, 2011 The Baltimore Sun, Maryland

By The Baltimore Sun

May 31--Organizers could scarcely have chosen a more appropriate day to call attention to the threat Maryland faces from climate change. It is of course impossible to prove that the heat wave we're currently experiencing is the result of global warming, but late-May temperatures in the upper-90s are the kind of thing we can expect more of if we don't address society's continued dependence on fossils fuels and the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

U.S. strategy on climate change is uncertain at best. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with its effort to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, but House Republicans (and even some Congressional Democrats, including those from oil-producing states) are bent on thwarting it. Delay, denial, obfuscation, whatever tactics are required, opponents appear to ready to go the mattresses to protect their financial stake in the status quo.

That leaves efforts on the state level as critical as ever. Maryland may not be the only producer of greenhouse gases, but between the number of cars on Maryland's roads and the coal-fired power plants producing electricity for our homes, we do more than our share.

Tuesday's event by Environment Maryland, staged at the 2003 site of Tropical Storm Isabel flooding in Fells Point, was meant to call attention specifically to the state's 2009 pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent below 2006 levels by 2020. Advocates say Maryland is already behind the pace and worry that state agency plans for achieving those reductions -- expected to be released later this summer -- won't go far enough.

That's a legitimate concern. The threat posed by climate change is real and growing, but public acceptance has not been so certain. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently pulled his state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the carbon trading pact in which Maryland participates. Gov. Martin O'Malley last week chided the Republican (who is his frequent foil on national policy) for calling RGGI gimmicky and ineffective.

Indeed, according to a report released Tuesday by Environment Maryland, carbon trading is one of the only areas in which Maryland is on target for its 2020 goals. In most others, progress is lackluster -- particularly in areas like transportation technology and utilities regulation.

Has RGGI significantly decreased carbon emissions on a global scale? No, it has not. But that's not a reason to abandon the concept any more than it's time to shut down local police stations because cops aren't preventing all crime from happening around the planet.

Until Congress and the White House agree to a sensible energy policy that puts the nation -- and helps set the world -- on a path toward addressing climate change, then states and local governments can only do what they can. Better baby steps than no steps at all.

As a coastal state, Maryland sits on the brink of man-made disaster. A drastic rise in global temperatures is predicted to bring coastal flooding that would literally reshape the state's geography and wipe out valuable wetlands.

What environmentalists seek is not to harm the economy but to put Maryland at the vanguard of the 21st century economy that is far less dependent on fossil fuels. What's needed are policies that promote public transportation, renewable power, fuel efficiency and conservation, smart growth and recycling.

Without that, Maryland can look forward to more severe weather and disastrous flooding that could cost the economy billions of dollars. With less than a decade left to meet that goal, the O'Malley administration had better be ready to hit the ground running.






6.04.2011

Unique Housing: Taking Expatriate Living to the Extreme

25 meters in diameter and floats on about 125,000 plastic bottles. As I step onto the island there is slight buoyancy and a smile crept across my face. Rishi resides in the three-story house he has built on the island which includes a guest room, kitchen, two showers and natural compost toilet.

The construction of Joysxee is fascinating; Rishi collects plastic bottles from all around Isla Mujeres and they get stuffed into recycled fruit sacks to create a floating platform. Palettes are put on top of the full fruit sacks, then board or carpeting on top of that, and finally sand. The baby mangroves he plants on the edges of the island serve as an additional locking system as their roots take hold of the bottles below.

Over just a few months a new bag of bottles will host barnacles and lock in to place underneath to provide more support for the entire island. The bottles stay under the island; they are sealed and remain in darkness which slows the decomposition process. The result is an island created out of approximately 70% recycled material. Rishi is continuously adding more bags of plastic bottles to the island so it can continue to grow and expand. He has been able to add a variety of plants such as sea grapes, mangroves, cactus, fruit-bearing plants bougainvillea and even palms.

Unique Housing: Taking Expatriate Living to the Extreme

Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power, Why Can't the US?

Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power,
Why Can't the US?



 
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If Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power,
Why Can't the US?

Nuclear Power? No Thanks!

act

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will be in Washington DC next week to meet with President Obama. But she won't be talking to him about Germany's bold decision to shut all 17 of its nuclear power plants by 2022 and create an 80% renewable energy program by 2050.

That's too bad because Germany, the world's 4th largest economy, is about to leave the US in the technological dust, taking the lead – and the profits – in the Renewable Renaissance. Meanwhile, the U.S. clings on to antiquated nuclear power technology, insisting on wildly expensive new nuclear plants and prolonging the operating lives of its dangerous old ones.

Your Senators and Representative should be standing up for your safety. That means supporting a moratorium on operating licenses at the country's most dangerous Fukushima-style reactors; an end to license extensions for deteriorating old reactors; and a halt to subsidies and licenses for proposed reactors.

Please follow this link and send your elected officials our new ad. Please consider placing it in your newsletter or local newspaper, and on your website and Facebook pages.

Thanks for using it wherever you can. And please support our work by making a donation to Beyond Nuclear today.

Your contribution will help us Move to a Moratorium on Nuclear Power!

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Thank you for working with us for a nuclear-free world.

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The Beyond Nuclear Team

www.beyondnuclear.org









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